have left there, any trace any of them might have left there, but had to stop short when the doorbell rang. Pulling on a dressing gown she went to the door. It was the girl.
“I heard what you did,” Masako said looking anxiously up and down the corridor. She seemed completely different to the girl on the train and in the restaurant. She was nervous. Almost frightened.
“He sent me to give you this. It’s important.” She held out another envelope to Asami and when their fingers touched she pulled hers away timidly. Asami watched her with a mixture of confusion and apprehension. Who was this that stood before her now? Why was she so afraid?
“I have to…I lo…I love…I…I have to go.” Asami instinctively reached forward but the girl backed away until she collided with the wall of the corridor outside. Were those tears? She hated this girl. Didn’t she?
Masako slid down the wall and buried her face between her knees. Not fully knowing why Asami went towards her and took her hands leading her back to the doorframe. The girl collapsed again onto her knees and buried her face in Asami’s dressing gown. She began sobbing and pressed her face against Asami’s thigh choking apologetically.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I didn’t…I’m sorry.”
Asami felt warm tears roll down her leg and experienced a strange wave of pity. She reached down and stroked Masako’s long brown hair gently. Masako looked up with a startled, fearful hope. Why was she so scared? Asami helped her to her feet and looked questioningly into her eyes. The girl’s head drooped sorrowfully and Asami parted her fringe and kissed her softly on the forehead. Masako raised her glance to look into Asami’s eyes. Without her makeup on Asami thought Masako’s eyes looked remarkably similar to her own. Her breath was hot and sweet and her tears had left shimmering streaks down her cheeks.
“Don’t tell anyone about this. Please.” The girl was almost pleading. She backed away then suddenly darted quickly forward to give Asami the briefest kiss before turning and fleeing down the corridor. Asami was left confused in her doorway holding two envelopes in one hand.
The first envelope had revealed a short typed note ordering her to another meeting at raison d’etre on Tuesday afternoon. The second was more interesting.
Asami.
Take heart. There are others. Others like you. There are hundreds, thousands like you but…not like you. There are some though. Some who are like you. There are others like Taiyo too. And others like me.
The cage is empty.
The second note was hand written and had evidently been rushed. The writing was small and jagged and the paper stained and rumpled. There was a final line that had been crossed out. It looked like it had said, I love you. For three days Asami thought of the meeting with an excited trepidation and for three days she thought of Masako with concern and fear.
“You came!” Taiyo rose from his seat and walked towards her, arms outstretched in welcome, as she was led to the same table as before by two heavy-set waiters.
Handel played softly in the background. The clatter of cutlery and the chatter of polite conversation. The gauze curtains blew in and were sucked out through the open sash windows.
“You know I really wasn’t sure if you would. I don’t know why. Just a feeling.”
Asami looked across at the table. Its edges were again crowded with men in suits. The same ones? She couldn’t tell. Masako was nowhere to be seen.
“So tell me Asami, what happened on Friday night? I heard you had a little…episode. Took the weapon home with you. Most irregular. Now why would you want to do that? You know all I ask of you is to assist your contact and then go home. Everybody else seems to manage just fine. But then…you’ve always been a little different haven’t you. Always had a…special relationship.”
There was no need to reply but she wished he would skip the questions and get to the point.
“Anyway, the problem is that given your unorthodox behaviour I’m really not sure we can count it as a mission properly fulfilled. But no matter! I have a new one for you. One which if you do properly may well be your last. How does that sound, eh? But first things first. This is not the place for our special type of business and these spineless wretches are not men with whom we need to share our special type of business and so we are going to take a little trip. Fun, no?”
Was there a certain nervousness coming from around the table? Asami had no worries regarding her own situation. She just wanted to get on with things. A strong gust of wind sent the curtains high in the air and with such force that one of them knocked a wine glass from a table on its way up. Heads in the restaurant turned at the sound of the shattering crystal as Taiyo led the way outside.
They drove for several hours. Asami couldn’t tell exactly how long as she had been blindfolded. At first she could feel a faint light through the fabric, presumably from the sun, but eventually it disappeared and then changed into a slowly alternating rhythm of dark and hints of light which she assumed to be street lamps. No one in the car spoke the whole way. When they stopped she was forced to keep the blindfold on as she was marched up a long, straight flight of shallow stairs. She counted over two hundred then lost track. At the top she was made to wait and she listened intently to the various sounds.
Ck…kch Something was slammed.
Tchshhh Something was dragged.
mmmMMmm Something was muffled.
Suddenly the blindfold was ripped away. Pale moonlight barely lit the scene but her time blindfolded had helped her as her eyes needed no time to adjust. The grounds of a temple, surrounded by imposing evergreen forest. To her left was a giant taiko drum. Masako was tied by her wrists and ankles to its face. In front of her was the main temple complex. Along its front Taiyo was pacing slowly. To her right a sword rack. Masako’s head hung limply but she jerked it up occasionally. Taiyo continued pacing seemingly lost in thought. The sword rack glittered danger in the silver light.
“What to do? What to do?” Taiyo had stopped pacing and leaned on the barrier looking in to the middle distance. The temple rose and loomed above him. The tiles of the curved roof shimmered silver and black like scales. The moon was directly behind it and Taiyo was an even darker silhouette against the shadows. He lit a cigarette and in the momentary flicker of the flame Asami saw the green box lit up beside him. This time she betrayed no reaction. A thin mist trailed across the gravel courtyard from the surrounding forest. The flame clicked off and the cage was once again hidden in the dark. Taiyo strolled slowly down the wooden stairs, his creaking footsteps echoing round the empty courtyard. He approached Asami and cocked his head to one side. The drum sounded deeply as Masako involuntarily snapped her head back against it.
“What to do? What to do?”
From the shadows beside the drum a dark figure emerged. Asami couldn’t see his face but she knew it was the contact from the karaoke bar. He paused next to Masako.
“What would you do?” Taiyo looked Asami directly in the eyes as he asked the question. His face was revealed ever so slightly by the glowing ember of his cigarette end.
“What would you do? What will you do?”
He walked in a tight circle around her all the time keeping his gaze fixed upon her face. He stopped and held his cigarette at arm’s length. Still looking at Asami he flicked it at the drum. It bounced off the surface in a shower of sparks just above Masako’s face. She flinched but still didn’t fully wake.
“Choose a weapon!” Taiyo commanded suddenly, stepping aside and pointing at the sword rack. “Choose a weapon and finish it.”
Asami didn’t move and as Taiyo lit another cigarette, a grin slowly spread across his face. The smoke from his cigarette drifted away to blend with the mist. He shook his head then clapped once and the front of the temple was suddenly lit with a blinding white light. Two men dressed in black stood either side of the green box. Asami couldn’t keep her gaze from flicking towards it.
The cage is empty.
But was it? Could she be sure? The two men h
eld clubs drooping from their grip.
I love you.
She felt the warm tears running down her thigh.
“If you won’t, I’ll do it myself.” Taiyo informed her. “It makes no difference to me. Did you really think she was my daughter? There are plenty more where she came from. Believe me. Plenty more.”
Asami continued staring at the cage. Was there a sudden tensing in the men’s grip?
The cage is empty.
Taiyo shook his head again, almost as if he was disappointed and moved towards the sword rack.
“Wait.”
Asami flicked her head and stared at him. He turned slowly and his teeth shone white in the shadows. “I’ll do it.”
It was a grin of victory. He didn’t move aside as Asami approached the rack and selected a cloth handled sword in a red scabbard. The sound of steel scratched the air as she removed the blade in one flowing motion and marched towards the drum and the assassin in waiting. As she approached she seemed to cut a clear path through the mist. She could see a thin trail of dried blood running from Masako’s nose. Her breath was coming slow and heavy but she was conscious. The contact held out his hand for the sword expectantly, but Asami hesitated.
“Give it to me.” It was that same low rasp. Masako rolled her head and raised her eyes. When she caught sight of Asami her mouth twitched into a twisted smile. Some of